German striker Mario Gomez will leave Besiktas

German striker Mario Gomez announces that he is leaving Turkish soccer club Besiktas due to the political instability in Turkey.

Besiktas striker Mario Gomez. AA
TRT World and Agencies

Besiktas striker Mario Gomez. AA

German international striker Mario Gomez has decided to leave Turkish football club Besiktas after one year with the club, citing political instability in the country as the reason behind his decision.

The former Bayern Munich and Stuttgart star joined Besiktas on loan from Fiorentina last summer and has played a pivotal role in helping Besiktas capture its first Turkish League title in seven years, scoring 28 goals during the campaign.

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Mario Gomez and teammate Gokhan Tore celebrate after netting a goal against Medipol Basaksehir.

Gomez in a statement addressing Besiktas fans on his Facebook page said: "It was a difficult decision that I had to think about a lot. I have to tell you Besiktas fans personally that it is very heavy for me that I will not be playing for this great club in front of you wonderful fans in this unique stadium anymore."

"The reason for this is completely down to the political situation! There are no sporting or any other reasons that have made me make this decision. It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days. I hope you can understand that!"

Turkey resisted a violent military coup late Friday night that was quashed by the efforts of the people and security forces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency following the failed military coup, which left more than 250 dead and over a thousand injured.

Gomez also thanked the club and the fans for their support and expressed hope that the country's issues will be solved peacefully and quickly.

"I owe huge thanks to the club, to you fans and to all the people with whom my family and I had a lot of wonderful times! It was a fantastic year with the Championship providing the absolute highlight."

"I hope that these political problems can be solved in a peaceful manner soon. Then it would be my great wish to play for Besiktas again! The club and the country grew very close to my heart in this past year. Hope to see you again soon."

The loan deal contained the option of a permanent transfer to Besiktas, but the striker has ended Besiktas' hopes of making the move permanent with this announcement.

He also had a strong outing at the EURO 2016 tournament with two goals, before a hamstring injury sidelined him as Germany was preparing to play France in the semi-finals.

Fiorentina will be hopeful that his performances at EURO 2016 have boosted his transfer value as he has a year remaining on his contract.

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